Computing & Information Services

Welcome to Mac OS X

This page is designed to be as general as possible for all versions of OS 10. However, it was written for 10.2 Jaguar, 10.3 Panther and 10.4 Tiger.

How do I know if I'm running Mac OS X?
- How do I know which version of OS X I'm running?
Features in 10.4
Turning Your Mac On and Off
OS X Windows
- The Panther and Tiger Sidebar
The OS X Menu Bar
The Dock
The Trash
OS X and Multiple Users
- Fast User Switching in 10.3
OS X and System Preferences
Servers
Off Campus Resources

What you get with OS X is a very stable operating system, the core of which is Unix. There are new Finder features, a new Dock, the translucent look which Apple calls Aqua, more advanced networking features, and a broad array of accessory applications.

OS X is more stable than earlier versions of the Mac operating system and many individual features have been redesigned for simplicity. OS X is really three operating systems in one-

UNIX is the core of OS X, and luckily, most of us will never have to even see it and can safely ignore it.
OS 9 or CLASSIC is included for all the applications which have not been written or adapted to take advantage of the new features of OS X.
And then of course there is X, the Aqua interface.

Classic refers to older applications which run only in OS 9. When you launch one of these applications in OS X, the Classic environment launches first and then the application appears.

Carbon applications are classic OS 9 applications which have been modified to work in OS X.

On the other hand, Cocoa applications have been rewritten from scratch to take full advantage of, and used exclusively in, OS X.

This is not something to worry about. But it is important to know which environment you are working with. If you have a blue or gray Apple in your Apple menu, you are in OS X. If the Apple is multicolored , you are in the Classic environment.

How do I know if I'm running Mac OS X?

Macintosh computers have a small apple icon in the top left corner of your screen. The color of the apple tell you which version of Mac OS you are using:

If you see a blue or gray apple , you are running Mac OS X.
If you see a rainbow apple , you are running Mac OS 8 or 9.

How do I know which version of OS X I'm running?

Once you have determined that you are running OS X, you can find out which version by clicking on the Apple Menu and selecting Abfout This Mac. A window will appear with basic information about your computer, including the operating system.

os version

Features in 10.4

Tiger (10.4) has many new features. Some of the major new things are Spotlight, Dashboard, and Mail.

Spotlight is like a super-fast search engine for your computer. It automatically indexes everything on your computer, such as emails, documents, pictures, and applications, so it returns results very quickly. You can access Spotlight either by clicking on the blue magnifying glass in the far upper right corner of the menu bar, or by typing in your search in the box with the gray magnifying glass in any finder window.
Dashboard is a window that superimposes itself on top of your screen which contains small, "useful" applications called widgets. You can add or remove widgets on the screen by clicking on the plus sign in the lower left of the screen. This will open up the "Widget Bar". To add a widget to your dashboard screen, simply click on the icon of the widget. Most widgets have options and preferences which can be accessed by clicking on a small lower case "i" (for info). You can access Dashboard by hitting the F12 key or clicking on the icon (picture of icon) in the dock. The Dashboard icon in the dock will always have a black arrow underneath it because it is always running in the background.
The new version of Apple Mail for 10.4 is basically the same as the older versions, but looks slightly different. Support for Mail can be found here.

Turning Your Mac On and Off

The best way to turn ON your Mac is to use the power button just above the number pad on the upper right of your keyboard. On the new flat screen iMacs, the power button is located in the left back side of the base. Just press it once to turn on your computer. On QuickSilver Macs, the power button is on the tower.

The best way to turn OFF a Mac is to go to the Apple menu and select Shut Down. In the dialog box that appears, choose Shut Down.

Occasionally, your computer may "crash" or "freeze," meaning the computer will stop responding to the mouse or the keyboard. You may see a blue or rainbow beach ball that keeps spinning after minutes of waiting. You can try to Force Quit by holding down the Apple + Option + Esc keys on your keyboard all at once. You can also click on the Apple Menu and select Force Quit if you can use the mouse. A window will appear with a list of open applications. Select the one that froze and click on the Force Quit button .

If your computer is completely frozen and force quit doesn't work, hold down the power button for several seconds until the computer shuts down completely. Bear in mind that this should be used only as a last resort when the computer freezes and not as a regular shutdown procedure.

OS X Windows

Every window in Mac OS X will have the title of the folder and any icon associated with it in the center of the title bar. There are four buttons on the title bar of OS X windows:

In Tiger the title bar looks very different, it integrates the window controls and the toolbar.

Closing Button

The red button on the left closes the window. If the window is a document, it closes the active document (and will prompt you to save if you have not already). This is not the same as quitting the application itself. To quit the OS X application itself, you will have to go to the menu with the application name and select Quit [application name], or press Apple + Q on the keyboard. Leaving many applications open at once might lead to memory problems, so please remember to close out of applications properly when you are done.

Minimizing Button

The yellow button minimizes the window and sends it down to the Dock. To bring the minimized window back up to the desktop, click once on the icon of the minimized window on the right side of the Dock.

Zoom Button

The green Zoom button expands or contracts the window size depending on its current and former position on the screen.

Show/Hide Window Button

The button in the upper right-hand corner now shows or hides the toolbar at the top of a window.

In the Finder in OS X, there is a toolbar at the top of each window, pictured below.

window buttons

Navigates back to the previous window or folder level, much like the back button works in an Internet browser.

Navigates to the next window or folder level, like in an Internet browser.

The back and forward buttons in Tiger.

The three View buttons allow you change the view characteristics of the window to icon, list, or column.

This is what the view buttons look like in Tiger.

The finder window in Tiger also includes an 'Action' button, that operates the same way as ctrl- clicking on an item in the window.

Shortcut to the Computer area, where you can find your Macintosh Hard Drive, any disks you have inserted, any servers you have connected to, and any other hard drives you have.

Shortcut to your Home area. This is where your documents folder and desktop live.

Shortcut to your Favorites folder. Use this for shortcuts to folders and locations you use often.

Shortcut to OS X Applications folder.

Allows you to search your computer for a folder or file.

Spotlight is the new search mechanism in Tiger- it's very quick and can search pictures, email, within PDF documents, etc.

The Panther (10.3) and Tiger (10.4) Sidebar

The windows in Panther (10.3) are a little bit different. Superficially, they have a chrome-like style instead of the simple white box. More importantly, the menu bar is on the side instead of the top, and is easier to customize.

The image below outlines the basic items on the Panther Finder window sidebar. To customize the links that appear in the bottom half, simply drag and drop items into the bar, much like customizing your dock. To remove something, just drag it to the trash.

The OS X Menu Bar

You can always find the OS X menu bar at the top of the screen. As part of OS X, Apple has standardized the menus that programs must use. Now, you will always find (from left to right) the Apple menu, the <Program Name> menu, the Edit menu, any menus needed by the application, the Window menu, then the Help menu. In the far right corner, you will always find the speaker menu, the Airport menu if you use it, and the Time and Date menu. While working in the Finder, the menu bar looks like the image below.

The Apple Menu

The OS X Apple Menu works much like the OS 9 Special and Apple Menus combined without the applications. All applications usually located in the Apple Menu have moved to the new Application folder. Applications can also be accessed by using the Dock, described below. The OS X Apple Menu is where preferences and settings can be modified, users can log in and out, restart or shutdown their computer.

Use About This Mac to find out what version of the Operating System the computer is running, the processor speed, and the amount of memory (RAM). Get Mac OS X Software... opens Apple's Downloads for OS X webpage in your default web browser. System Preferences... allows you to modify, customize, and administer your computer. The Dock submenu allows you to change the position, magnification options when your mouse is over the Dock, and turn on and off hiding the Dock when not in use.

The Location submenu allows to switch between different locations for network and internet access. This is helpful for portable computers which may move between a dialup connection at home and on the road, Reed's Airport network around campus, and Reed's ethernet network in the office. Even desktop computers that are moved between home and Reed twice a year should take advantage of this. You can set up locations in the Network Preferences... found in System Preferences and a shortcut in the Location submenu.

The Recent Items submenu opens a list of recent documents and applications used by you. It can store 5, 10, or 15 of each category. If you would like to change the number of Recent Items saved, go to General under System Preferences.

Force Quit... allows you to quit out of a frozen or crashed program. Sleep sends the computer into a low-power mode and turns off the display. Restart... turns off and turns on the computer. Shut Down... turns off the computer safely. Log Out... takes you back to the log in screen and protects your files from others who should not have access to your files.

The <Program Name> Menu

program menu About <Program Name> will give you information about the application, version numbers, creators, and the serial number. Preferences... allows you to customize the application and change settings. Services is a list of small programs that can work inside the program you are using like spell check, email your current document, etc. Hide <Program Name> hides all open windows in the application into the Dock. Hide Others hides all other open windows into the Dock. Show All brings all windows out of the Dock. Quit <Program Name> quits you out of the Application.

The Edit Menu

On the Edit Menu, you can always find Cut, Copy, Paste, and Select All.

The Window Menu

You can open different menus and windows from this menu, and switch between different documents.

The Help Menu

This is where you can always find the program manual and online help. Often bug reporting is here.

The Dock

Instead of the OS 9 Apple Menu, OS X uses the Dock (usually located across the bottom of the screen) to hold the aliases to some applications and utilities, the trash, and open applications and windows.

Black triangles below application icons indicate an application is open. Hovering your mouse over an icon in the Dock displays the name of that item. The Finder will always be listed in the Dock because it must be open in order for you to use the Desktop. If you are running Tiger (OS 10.4) the Dashboard icon will probably also be listed in the Dock because it will be running in the background.

The Dock is divided into two parts by a vertical line. The left-hand side of the Dock shows application icons, and the right-hand side shows file and folder icons as well as the Trash. To change the order of the items on your Dock, simply click and drag the icons to the desired order. The applications must stay on the left and the files and folders must stay on the right.

The Dock can be resized to stretch the entire length of the screen or to shrink down towards the center of the bottom of the screen. To resize the Dock, click and drag the vertical line dividing the applications from the files and folders. The cursor will become a resizing tool, and the Dock can be enlarged or shrunk by moving the mouse up and down. To modify the Dock preferences, go to the Apple Menu > Dock. There, you can choose to hide the Dock, change its location on the screen, and access other Dock preferences by choosing Dock Preferences.

To open an application, file, or folder, you need to click on the icon in the Dock only once. Applications launched from the Applications or Applications (Mac OS 9) folders which are not stored on the Dock, will have an application icon appear on the Dock only while the application is open. A black triangle will appear beneath the application icon, indicating the application is open. Pressing and holding the mouse button over an icon on the dock produces a pop-up menu with various functions, including Show in Finder and Quit.

To add an application, file, or folder permanently to the Dock, open the application by double-clicking on the icon in the Applications or Applications (Mac OS 9) folder. When the application finishes opening and has an icon in the Dock, press and hold the mouse button over the icon in the dock. A pop-up menu will appear with the option to Keep in Dock. Select it and the item will remain in the Dock whether the application is open or not. Remember that the icon in the Dock is only an alias to the actual application, utility, folder or file. To remove an unwanted item from the Dock, drag the item off the Dock. The icon will then disappear in a puff of smoke. Note that dragging the item off the Dock does not delete the item. It only removes the alias from the Dock.

The Trash

The Trash, analogous to the Recycle Bin on Windows computers, is used as a temporary folder for any deleted items. The Trash is located on the Dock. You can drag files or folders into the Trash, effectively deleting them from your hard drive. Click once on the Trash icon on the Dock to view the files you have placed in the Trash. To permanently delete items, click once on the Trash icon, go to the Finder menu, and choose Empty Trash. This deletes all files in the Trash. You cannot delete items one at a time from the Trash folder. You should not empty the Trash until you are certain you no longer need the items located there. Never use your Trash as a storage area for files you may need or want. Once the trash has been emptied, the items previously inside will be unrecoverable.

The Trash is also used to eject disks or volumes on the desktop. To remove a disk or CD from your computer, drag the disk or other media icon onto the Trash icon in the Dock. The Trash icon will then change into an Eject icon. Dragging your disk icon to the Trash will not delete your files. To disconnect from a volume, such as your Home server, drag the icon from the Desktop to the Trash. The Trash will change to an Eject icon, just as if you were removing a disk.

OS X and Multiple Users

In OS X, you are using a multiple user operating system. On your personal machine, you should set up an account and password for yourself. Once you have done that, you should save all of your files in the Documents folder found in your Home directory. Keep your pictures in the Pictures Folder, your music in the Music Folder, etc.

Remember if you put anything in the Public folder, it could be viewed by others if you have file sharing, web sharing, or ftp access turned on.

When you create a username in OS X, the system creates a new folder, of that same name, inside the Users folder. You can save all of your files in this personalized folder. This is a great place to store your documents and files because, by default, no other user of the computer can access it. Even the files you put on your desktop are within your user folder. Any settings, bookmarks, and customizations you do will be accessible only to you. You'll never need to worry about others messing with your settings or computer's look.

Fast User Switching in 10.3

One of the new features in 10.3 ("Panther") is Fast User Switching. This allows you to switch between users on your computer without logging out. However, it comes with a few warnings: First, having more than one user logged in, with applications running for multiple users, can slow your computer down dramatically and increase the risk of crashing. Second, you cannot shut down (or restart) your computer without logging each individual out, and you can't log anyone out without their password. As such, you should use Fast User Switching with caution.

To turn Fast User Switching on:

Go to System Preferences.

Click on Accounts in the System pane.

Select Login Options.

Click the check-box next to Enable fast user switching. A warning about security risks will appear, click Ok if you still want to use fast user switching.

To switch between users:

Your username will now appear in the far right end of the Menu Bar. Click on your name to see a drop-down menu displaying all the users. Anyone who is currently logged in will have a check beside their name.

To switch users, simply select the new user, and enter the password when prompted. You will need to reenter your password to go back to your initial user even if you are still logged in.

OS X and System Preferences

Click any image to enlarge.

In Jaguar (10.2)

In Panther (10.3)

In Tiger (10.4)

To open a System Preference pane, click once on the desired icon. Use any one of the sliders, checkboxes, and drop–down menus to select the desired settings.

However, first be aware that the window for System Preferences functions a bit differently than a typical window. When you click on one of the icons, the bottom part of the window changes. That bottom part is called a pane. For example, if you click on the Desktop icon, the bottom part of the window is referred to as the Desktop System Preferences Pane.

Once you are finished with the selected pane, to go to a different pane you have several options:

Click the Show All button on the left part of the toolbar.

Click one of the other icons on the toolbar if that is what you want. To add a frequently accessed Preference Pane to your Toolbar, click and hold down the mouse button on the desired icon, then drag an drop it on the Toolbar.

Go to the View menu, and select the desired pane from the list.

Another important factor is that many of the System Preferences need to be unlocked before any changes can be made, and only users with Administrator privileges can do the unlocking. For all personal machines on campus, there is only one user, and on your machine, that would be you. So, if you find you need to unlock one of your preferences, use the username and password that was created when OS X was installed on your Mac and that you use to log in. If you are on a public machine (the libary or the ETC labs), you will not be able to make administrator changes.

To unlock a Preference Pane:

Click the lock located in the lower-left corner of the System Preferences Pane.

A dialog box appears. Enter your name and password.

Click once on the OK button.

When you are finished making changes in the Preference Pane, you may want to re-lock it. To do so, click on the lock icon again and it will lock itself instantly.

Personal Preferences (aka the Top Row)

These panes enable you to customize your OS X environment to suit your own individual needs and taste.

The Desktop pane allows you to select from several different collections of background pictures or use one of your own pictures. In OS 10.3 and 10.4 the Desktop Pane is also combined with the Screen Effects pane, where you can select from several built–in screen saver modules, including using your own pictures from the Pictures folder. Using the Activation tab, you can select the amount of inactivity time before the screen saver starts, and whether or not to require a password when waking from the screen saver. Again, the password would be the one you defined in your User account when OS X was installed on your Mac. The Hot Corners tab allows you to select a corner to start the screen saver immediately when the mouse cursor enters that corner.

The Dock pane allows you to customize the Dock size, magnification, position, and effects. You can also set the Dock to automatically hide and show according to the placement of your cursor.

In the General or Appearance pane (depending on whether you're in 10.2 or 10.3 and up), you can select a different appearance for your buttons, menus, and windows, and from a variety of highlight colors for selected text. You can also change the placement of scroll arrows and what happens when you click in a scroll box. There are choices for how many items appear in your Recent Items on the Apple Menu, and for a text smoothing cut off point.

The International panel lets you select a different language for your Mac to work in, and, with the Date, Time, and Numbers tabs allows you to configure the time, currency, and other OS X number displays to be appropriate for the language. The Keyboard tab allows you to select from a variety of different keyboard layouts, primarily according to a particular language.

The Exposé panel allows you to set your preferences for the Exposé function. Exposé is a special feature in 10.3 and 10.4 that allows you to hit one button (usually F11) to see everything on your Desktop, another (usually F9) to see every active window you are using, and another (usually F10) to see only the application windows. In 10.4, the Exposé pane is combined with the Dashboard pane. Dashboard is a special feature of 10.4 that superimposes a window containing small applications (widgets) on top of your desktop. It can be accessed in a similar way to Exposé, by hitting one button (usually F12) or by clicking on the Dashboard icon in the Dock.

The Login Items panel lets you define which applications launch automatically at start–up. This pane is only in 10.2. In 10.4 you can choose to start an application at launch by clicking and holding down the mouse button on the application's icon in the dock. This will display a pop-up window where you can select "Open at Login".

The My Account panel lets you change the current user's password. If you turn off automatic login, you must type a name and password to log in. From time to time, you may want to change your password to protect your computer. To change another user's password, use Accounts preferences. You may need to know the name and password of an administrator user to make this change. The My Account panel also lets you select an image that will be shown at login. This pane is only shown in 10.2.

In the Security panel, you can turn on File Vault, which will automatically encrypt all the data in your Home Directory. Warning: It requires a master password to read, and if you forget your password, everything will be permanently lost! This panel also allows you to lock your screen saver so that your password is required to wake your computer. The Security pane is only shown in versions 10.3 and up.

In the Spotlight pane you can choose what kind of search results you want it to return, and what in order the categories of search results will be displayed. You can also choose if there are locations you do not want Spotlight to search, such as for privacy concerns. Spotlight is a unique feature only available in Tiger (10.4).

Hardware Preferences (aka the Second Row)

The panes in this category allow you to control all the devices that are connected to your Mac.

The Bluetooth pane in 10.4 allows you to choose settings for your computer's bluetooth and configure any bluetooth devices to your computer.

The CDs & DVDs panel allows you to select what OSX should do when you insert a blank CD or DVD, or a music or picture CD, or a video DVD.

The ColorSync panel is designed to maintain the color integrity of your images between all color input and output devices such as scanners, cameras, the monitor, and a color printer. In 10.2 it is in the system preferences, but in all higher versions of OS X it is an application in the utilities folder (within the application folder). Most of us do not have to worry about this particular feature — it is primarily aimed at professionals who work with digital images.

The Displays panel allows you to select all of your monitor settings, including resolution, color depth, refresh rate, contrast and brightness using the Display tab, the position, height, width, etc. using the Geometry tab, and to create a color profile to use with ColorSync in the Colors tab.

In the Energy Saver panel you can set when your system sleeps after a period of inactivity in the Sleep tab, and when to wake or to restart automatically after a power failure in the Options tab.

Using the Keyboard panel, you can set the Key Repeat Rate and turn on Full Keyboard Access which allows you to control all aspects of your Mac from the keyboard. Use the Mouse panel to set the tracking and double–click speed functions of your mouse. In 10.3 and up, these two panes are combined. In the later versions of OS X you can also use this pane if you want to set up a bluetooth mouse or keyboard.

With the Sound panel, you can choose between a variety of alert sounds and volume with the Alerts tab, and set the balance for your speakers using the Output tab.

In the Print & Fax pane, the Printing tab gives you a shortcut to the Printer Setup Utility, and other printing preferences. The Faxing tab allows you to set up a fax line to your computer. This pane is only shown in 10.3 and above.

Internet & Network Preferences (aka the Third Row)

The panels here allow you to configure the way your Mac communicates with the local network here at Reed and with the Internet.

The .Mac panel allows you to set up a .Mac account, which is essentially basic internet services provided by Apple. This is not free, and for most users, not necessary.

Using the Internet pane and the associated tabs, you can specify which Internet applications you want to use for email and web browsing, and define which home page and search engine you want your browser to use. If you fill in the requisite information for the Email and Web tabs, you should be good to go no matter what type of Internet application you open. The Network pane controls all of your Internet and local network connections. By default, it is set to automatically recognize what type of connection you have. If you use your Mac in multiple locations, for example at home and on-campus, you can use the drop-down Location menu at the top to create multiple connection methods. Be sure you know what settings you are changing and why. (Otherwise, it is possible that you lose your network connection altogether.) In 10.3 and above, the Internet and Network panes are combined to make the Network pane.

With the QuickTime pane, the most important thing to set is your Connection speed. On campus, in the Connection tab, select Intranet/LAN. Using other tabs you can control the way movies are played, how your browser's QuickTime plug-in functions with streaming video, and easily update your QuickTime software. You can also turn off the automatic update feature if you hate getting those reminders when QuickTime launches.

The Sharing pane enables a Mac to be accessed from other Macs on a network via File Sharing, and other computers on the Internet via FTP and the Web. We recommend that you leave the Sharing features set to the default. One feature everyone may want to check is the Computer Name, which is used for file sharing. You can place your server username (for the Home Server, Courses Server, etc.) into the Computer Name box, and when you log on to a server as a Registered User, the correct username will appear in the window.

System Preferences (aka the Bottom Row)

This is more or less a miscellaneous group and allows you to configure several aspects of your system and its functions.

The Accounts panel allows you to create, set-up, and edit new password-protected user accounts. Under the Login Options tab you can also choose the appearance of the startup login window, and if you are using 10.3 you can turn Fast User Switching on and off.

The Classic environment is what enables your OS X machine to automatically launch OS 9 applications. Using the Classic panel, you can start, stop, and re-launch Classic as well as set it to launch automatically when you turn on your Mac. Using the Advanced tab, you can turn the OS 9 Extensions on and off, define how long it is before Classic goes to sleep when inactive, and if the Classic environment ever starts acting flaky for you, the first step is to click once on the Rebuild Desktop button.

The Date & Time panel allows you to set your Mac's clock - time of day, date, and time zone. Additionally, using the Menu Bar Clock, you can display the clock on the menu as well as how it is viewed (as text or icon, with seconds, with AM or PM etc.) A neat feature is to sync your computer to a network time server so it's set to official U.S. time- we recommend using tick.reed.edu or tock.reed.edu.

Software Update checks for new and updated versions of your Apple provided software. After you install OS X, on the first startup, Software Update should run automatically. Afterwards, you can schedule your software updates to run automatically or manually.

The Speech panel allows you to control all aspects of your Mac's ability to speak to you, and you to it.

The Startup Disk panel lets you choose between starting up you Mac in OS X or in OS 9.

The Universal Access features are primarily for people who have difficulties seeing, hearing, typing or using a mouse. The best resource for the features available here is the System Prefs Help available from the Help menu. Once Help is displayed, type Universal Access into the edit bar at the top of the window, and click once on the Ask button.

Servers

You can access Reed servers like your personal Home server, the Courses server, the Faculty server and the Griffin Exchange server by downloading shortcuts to them that can also be placed in your dock. Go to our servers page for more information.

If you are not on Reed campus or if you do not wish to use the shortcuts mentioned above, you can also connect to these servers by using SFTP applications like Fetch or Fugu. Go to our off campus server access page for more information.

Off-Campus Resources

When you have moved beyond this tutorial, here are some other guides to OS X.

Apple's OS X Overview

AppleCare Knowledge Base

The Atomic Learning Library's Mac OS X Orientation

Mac OSX Hints

MacFixIt

Mac Slash

MacSurfer

MacNN

OS X FAQ

VersionTracker

back to top

Click any image to enlarge. In Jaguar (10.2)
In Panther (10.3)

In Tiger (10.4)

	The Desktop pane allows you to select from several different collections of background pictures or use one of your own pictures. In OS 10.3 and 10.4 the Desktop Pane is also combined with the Screen Effects pane, where you can select from several built–in screen saver modules, including using your own pictures from the Pictures folder. Using the Activation tab, you can select the amount of inactivity time before the screen saver starts, and whether or not to require a password when waking from the screen saver. Again, the password would be the one you defined in your User account when OS X was installed on your Mac. The Hot Corners tab allows you to select a corner to start the screen saver immediately when the mouse cursor enters that corner.
	The Dock pane allows you to customize the Dock size, magnification, position, and effects. You can also set the Dock to automatically hide and show according to the placement of your cursor.
	In the General or Appearance pane (depending on whether you're in 10.2 or 10.3 and up), you can select a different appearance for your buttons, menus, and windows, and from a variety of highlight colors for selected text. You can also change the placement of scroll arrows and what happens when you click in a scroll box. There are choices for how many items appear in your Recent Items on the Apple Menu, and for a text smoothing cut off point.
	The International panel lets you select a different language for your Mac to work in, and, with the Date, Time, and Numbers tabs allows you to configure the time, currency, and other OS X number displays to be appropriate for the language. The Keyboard tab allows you to select from a variety of different keyboard layouts, primarily according to a particular language.
	The Exposé panel allows you to set your preferences for the Exposé function. Exposé is a special feature in 10.3 and 10.4 that allows you to hit one button (usually F11) to see everything on your Desktop, another (usually F9) to see every active window you are using, and another (usually F10) to see only the application windows. In 10.4, the Exposé pane is combined with the Dashboard pane. Dashboard is a special feature of 10.4 that superimposes a window containing small applications (widgets) on top of your desktop. It can be accessed in a similar way to Exposé, by hitting one button (usually F12) or by clicking on the Dashboard icon in the Dock.
	The Login Items panel lets you define which applications launch automatically at start–up. This pane is only in 10.2. In 10.4 you can choose to start an application at launch by clicking and holding down the mouse button on the application's icon in the dock. This will display a pop-up window where you can select "Open at Login".
	The My Account panel lets you change the current user's password. If you turn off automatic login, you must type a name and password to log in. From time to time, you may want to change your password to protect your computer. To change another user's password, use Accounts preferences. You may need to know the name and password of an administrator user to make this change. The My Account panel also lets you select an image that will be shown at login. This pane is only shown in 10.2.
	In the Security panel, you can turn on File Vault, which will automatically encrypt all the data in your Home Directory. Warning: It requires a master password to read, and if you forget your password, everything will be permanently lost! This panel also allows you to lock your screen saver so that your password is required to wake your computer. The Security pane is only shown in versions 10.3 and up.
	In the Spotlight pane you can choose what kind of search results you want it to return, and what in order the categories of search results will be displayed. You can also choose if there are locations you do not want Spotlight to search, such as for privacy concerns. Spotlight is a unique feature only available in Tiger (10.4).

	The Bluetooth pane in 10.4 allows you to choose settings for your computer's bluetooth and configure any bluetooth devices to your computer.
	The CDs & DVDs panel allows you to select what OSX should do when you insert a blank CD or DVD, or a music or picture CD, or a video DVD.
	The ColorSync panel is designed to maintain the color integrity of your images between all color input and output devices such as scanners, cameras, the monitor, and a color printer. In 10.2 it is in the system preferences, but in all higher versions of OS X it is an application in the utilities folder (within the application folder). Most of us do not have to worry about this particular feature — it is primarily aimed at professionals who work with digital images.
	The Displays panel allows you to select all of your monitor settings, including resolution, color depth, refresh rate, contrast and brightness using the Display tab, the position, height, width, etc. using the Geometry tab, and to create a color profile to use with ColorSync in the Colors tab.
	In the Energy Saver panel you can set when your system sleeps after a period of inactivity in the Sleep tab, and when to wake or to restart automatically after a power failure in the Options tab.
	Using the Keyboard panel, you can set the Key Repeat Rate and turn on Full Keyboard Access which allows you to control all aspects of your Mac from the keyboard. Use the Mouse panel to set the tracking and double–click speed functions of your mouse. In 10.3 and up, these two panes are combined. In the later versions of OS X you can also use this pane if you want to set up a bluetooth mouse or keyboard.
	With the Sound panel, you can choose between a variety of alert sounds and volume with the Alerts tab, and set the balance for your speakers using the Output tab.
	In the Print & Fax pane, the Printing tab gives you a shortcut to the Printer Setup Utility, and other printing preferences. The Faxing tab allows you to set up a fax line to your computer. This pane is only shown in 10.3 and above.

	The .Mac panel allows you to set up a .Mac account, which is essentially basic internet services provided by Apple. This is not free, and for most users, not necessary.
	Using the Internet pane and the associated tabs, you can specify which Internet applications you want to use for email and web browsing, and define which home page and search engine you want your browser to use. If you fill in the requisite information for the Email and Web tabs, you should be good to go no matter what type of Internet application you open. The Network pane controls all of your Internet and local network connections. By default, it is set to automatically recognize what type of connection you have. If you use your Mac in multiple locations, for example at home and on-campus, you can use the drop-down Location menu at the top to create multiple connection methods. Be sure you know what settings you are changing and why. (Otherwise, it is possible that you lose your network connection altogether.) In 10.3 and above, the Internet and Network panes are combined to make the Network pane.
	With the QuickTime pane, the most important thing to set is your Connection speed. On campus, in the Connection tab, select Intranet/LAN. Using other tabs you can control the way movies are played, how your browser's QuickTime plug-in functions with streaming video, and easily update your QuickTime software. You can also turn off the automatic update feature if you hate getting those reminders when QuickTime launches.
	The Sharing pane enables a Mac to be accessed from other Macs on a network via File Sharing, and other computers on the Internet via FTP and the Web. We recommend that you leave the Sharing features set to the default. One feature everyone may want to check is the Computer Name, which is used for file sharing. You can place your server username (for the Home Server, Courses Server, etc.) into the Computer Name box, and when you log on to a server as a Registered User, the correct username will appear in the window.

	The Accounts panel allows you to create, set-up, and edit new password-protected user accounts. Under the Login Options tab you can also choose the appearance of the startup login window, and if you are using 10.3 you can turn Fast User Switching on and off.
	The Classic environment is what enables your OS X machine to automatically launch OS 9 applications. Using the Classic panel, you can start, stop, and re-launch Classic as well as set it to launch automatically when you turn on your Mac. Using the Advanced tab, you can turn the OS 9 Extensions on and off, define how long it is before Classic goes to sleep when inactive, and if the Classic environment ever starts acting flaky for you, the first step is to click once on the Rebuild Desktop button.
	The Date & Time panel allows you to set your Mac's clock - time of day, date, and time zone. Additionally, using the Menu Bar Clock, you can display the clock on the menu as well as how it is viewed (as text or icon, with seconds, with AM or PM etc.) A neat feature is to sync your computer to a network time server so it's set to official U.S. time- we recommend using `tick.reed.edu` or `tock.reed.edu`.
	Software Update checks for new and updated versions of your Apple provided software. After you install OS X, on the first startup, Software Update should run automatically. Afterwards, you can schedule your software updates to run automatically or manually.
	The Speech panel allows you to control all aspects of your Mac's ability to speak to you, and you to it.
	The Startup Disk panel lets you choose between starting up you Mac in OS X or in OS 9.
	The Universal Access features are primarily for people who have difficulties seeing, hearing, typing or using a mouse. The best resource for the features available here is the System Prefs Help available from the Help menu. Once Help is displayed, type Universal Access into the edit bar at the top of the window, and click once on the Ask button.